Beyond Email: Ideas for Tech-Touch Customer Success

I wrote an article a few weeks ago about how to approach a Tech-Touch or One-to-Many customer success program. Since then, a number of people have asked about how to tackle various touch-points. It seems like most companies are pretty reliant on email, but customers are getting tired of full inboxes (I don’t blame them!) Here are some alternatives to email for your One-to-Many customer success program.

WEBINARS

While you may have webinars in place right now, they are probably geared toward prospects rather than existing customers. Consider adding a series for your customers that includes product best practices, customer case studies or industry thought leadership.

VIDEOS

Similar to webinars, videos create visual engagement, but they come across as more personal. Consider interviewing successful clients or providing product tips in a fun way. Get your most engaging CSMs to participate as hosts so that customers can get to know them.

PODCASTS

If many of your customers have a long commute to work (NYC and SF, I'm looking at you!) podcasts are an excellent option to create engagement. Again, get some of your CSMs to serve as hosts, and have them interview industry thought leaders or talk about best practices.

CUSTOMER FORUM

Leverage your power users by introducing a customer forum. This is a great choice for companies with an established customer base. Experienced users will help new customers get going and successfully using your solution with a little moderation from your team.

IN-APP MESSAGING

Your app is the perfect place to display messages that are tailored to your solution. If you know that customers run into snags in specific parts of your product, provide them with a walk-through or messaging at that point.

SURVEYS

Customer surveys can be related to touch-points or to actions in your solution and can provide insight into both customer behavior and sentiment. Embed surveys in your product, and at key touch-points in your customer lifecycle to see where you need to improve.

EVENTS

Do you offer local events or an annual conference? Invite customers and get them involved in relationship-building activities like training or a dinner. Are there industry events your company is involved in? Those are a chance to not only gain prospects but to engage clients.

SOCIAL MEDIA

Consider the social media that best engages your customer base. LinkedIn and Twitter are obvious choices in the B2B space, but if your clients are on Facebook, Instagram or Pinterest, consider those as well. Posts can provide company info as well as links to case studies.

Clients enjoy hearing from companies through a variety of sources, and creativity counts. Your marketing team can provide ideas and help with content creation, so be sure to explore options with that group. Think beyond the email, and elevate your One-to-Many customer success program by incorporating some or all of these alternatives.

About the Author

Kristen Hayer is the founder & CEO of The Success League, a consulting firm focused on customer success. Services include developing metrics and goals, assessing customer touch-points, selecting technology, building and training teams, and designing playbooks.
Prior to founding The Success League, Kristen built and led award-winning teams for Jazz, VerticalResponse and Ascentis. Over the past 20 years she has been a sales, marketing and customer success leader, primarily working with early stage tech companies. Kristen has her BA from Seattle Pacific University and her MBA from the University of Washington.